Carradice Saddlebags

I still have a hard time (in a good way) to wrap my head around the fact that with the Carradice system any bike with 1 cm of available saddle rails can haul 25+ litres of waterproof luggage.

Snapshot of the 2 day ride this weekend, wet and twisty but damn good

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Excellent photo. Carradice, have manged to turn even a race bike into a light tourer. So much so, that only a dedicated long haul rider who needs to carry a lot of kit needs a bike specifically for this purpose.

They should be back up now, although the discount ran out yesterday :(
Mine should arrive tomorrow or so, I imagine.

FFS Carradice, I thought the Cambrian bag is going to be like the Audax plus the extra expandability of the roll top. Turns out the base is smaller as are the side pockets, they are tiny. The Audax fits a rolled up gilet and a small inner tube, can't even get the gilet into the side pocket of the Cambrian.

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That's a bummer, I got excited when I first saw the Odyssey and Cambrian bags. A Super C with a rolltop and longflap would be my dream bag. But in all the photos the side pockets look like a real afterthought, I wonder why they didn't just go for the same design as the other bags?

Noticed that the odyessey has smaller side pockets when going back to my super c - noticed due to levers catching badly on super c side pockets.

Wondered if they had downsized them to reduce lever issues if front loading on drop bars.

Are the Odyssey XL pockets usable at least? I'm intending to get one as some point

I mean, there is room for phone, wallet and 2 medium bunches of keys, or a multi tool, 2 tubes (700x45) levers, co2 and other bits.

Useable for sure just smaller than super c.

Anyone knows a trick to flatten the plastic protectors on super C panniers? It looks crap and makes it less practical to put the panniers on, as it catches the rack and mudguard stays (that said I've used the panniers like this for years now).

I was tempted to try with a heat gun, but wanted to ask first if there was a know solution...

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I think it's to make them more drop bar-friendly. I think it's a good move, rarely used pockets on the smaller ones myself. I really like the Cambrian.

Thanks, that makes sense! I would run mine on alt bars so width isn't an issue. I might see if they can make an Odyssey in that brown fabric with the Super C style side pockets as a special order, I love that colour.

I have now used it a few times and like it as well. The pouch on the bottom that allows you to slot it onto the bagman is a gamechanger.

Anyone want a pair of the support struts? Uncut, fitted once or twice, all bolts etc included. Say £15 including postage?

I might be into this, would you say they clamp on the stay snugly? I would try to use it on another rack which has just slightly thicker tubes than the bagman.

I'd say them clamp on nicely, not loose or snug if that makes sense?

They'd work on slightly thicker, due to the clamping mechanism, but I wouldn't push it beyond a mm or two.

For those looking for the Audax / Cambrian in cordura fabric rather than duck cotton, if you can forgo the roll top of the newer version, Spa and SJS have the earlier version with the bigger side pockets on offer.

So I'm trying to use them like you would use the stays on a nitto m-12, i.e., they'd be load-bearing top-down (dunno how to describe that better). I've not seen the bagman stays in person, do you think they'd withstand the force? They seem to be intended for lateral-ish forces.

My first Carradice, love the size, stability and that it isn't in the way at all. The reflective detail is a nice touch too.

Don't really like the clips/ loops though, feel very cheap but still better than the belt buckle type things I guess. I also wish the entire inside was lined in a bright colour to aid finding things.

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Easily changed though ;)

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Good point, definitely something I'll be looking into.

I keep meaning to replace the straps on mine, I would prefer clicky plastic buckles instead of fiddly not-so-adjustable ones.

Have a search on eBay/AliExpress for aluminium G hooks, much better than plastic buckles!

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Did you post that process anywhere before? Inquiring minds want to know

Did you just cut the buckles off and use the holes left that held the buckles?

Yes, exactly that - same on the side pockets, just need the correct size g hooks, I think 20 and 25mm. Won't work on the leather strappped bags, but on the Super C, etc, its great!